Iris van Herpen: In a class of her own

The highly respected Dutch couturier Iris van Herpen has an indisputably singular mind. A graduate of the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts Arnhem in the Netherlands, her rise through the world of fashion has been meteoric.

Today, she is hailed as one of the most innovative and exciting designers of the 21st century, and her pieces feature in collections all over the world, such as New York’s Met Museum. A solo exhibition of her work is currently on view at the Dallas Museum of Art until August 20, 2017.

Designer Iris Van Herpen by Jean Baptiste Mondino

Her work almost defies description—a blend of science, fashion design, sculpture, digital technology, nature and engineering. Quite simply, there is nothing like it, which is why she calls what she does “new couture”.

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

Aeriform — Fall 2017 Couture Collection

On July 3, the occasion of the 10th anniversary of her atelier, the 33-year-old classically trained ballerina unveiled her new Fall/Winter 2017 collection, Aeriform, at Paris Haute Couture. This was followed by a first: her startlingly original debut crystal collection, the Designer Edition by Iris van Herpen for Swarovski.

Van Herpen has been a member of the Swarovski Collective since 2015, and she never ceases to surprise with her unusual craftsmanship—a mix of old, sometimes forgotten techniques and tech-inspired, futuristic materials. Aeriform featured 18 elaborate silhouettes, their textiles and construction inspired by air and water, which was reflected in rippling patterning and translucent layering. Among them was a tulle dress embellished with Couture Studs, which Swarovski had developed specially for her show.

Crystals bring magic—we’re instinctively drawn to them.

Swarovski crystals have long featured prominently in her armory of creative ingredients. So it was perhaps only a matter of time before she would turn her attention to pushing the boundaries of crystal just as she has done in couture.